Connector for electrical conductors



Jan. 10, 1967 w. 'r. WADDINGTQN 3,297,816

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed July 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. WI WADD/NG TON Jan. 30, 1967 w. T. WADDINGTON 3,297,816

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Q Filed July 22, 1964 I I l G. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. IO

INVENTOR WZ'WA DD/NG TON i'g Amw A TTORWEV United States Patent 3,297,816 CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS William T. Waddington, Rahway, N.J., assigner to The Thomas & Betts Co., Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,464 4 Claims. (Cl. 174-87) This invention relates to a connector for electrical conductors having novel structural features such as to facilitate the assembly and automatic registration of a spring member with one of several slots therein to facilitate rotation onto electrical conductors for assembly therewith. The device is highly efiicient and practical in operation and use and may be readily manufactured at low cost and applied with great ease and accuracy.

The drawings, illustrating procedures and devices useful in carrying out the invention, and the description below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall be deemed to cover all other devices and procedures coming within the scope and purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector cap member embodying the invention, showing a spring member inserted therein,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal elevational view of the connector,

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view thereof, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view thereof, taken on line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5-8 are, respectively, transverse sectional views taken on lines 55, 66, 77, 8-8, of FIG. 1,

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken at line 9-9 of FIG. 10,

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of a connector of the invention, and

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a connector of the invention applied to a pair of electrical conductors, fragmentarily shown.

As shown in the drawings, the device of this invention comprises a connector 15 to electrically and mechanically interlock and connect conductors, such as the wires 16 (FIG. 11) enclosed in the dielectric sheaths 17, 17. The connector is adapted for interlocking other electrical components, which shall be deemed to be comprehended within the term electrical conductors as used herein. The connector 15 is provided with a body portion 18 (FIG. 1) which may be made of any suitable dielectric plastic or other material and may be made transparent, translucent, or opaque as desired, with a closed end 21) and an interior opening 19 for reception of spring member 21. The connector 15 is preferably provided with a plurality of fins or ribs 22 (FIG. 2) exteriorly formed axially thereon, to facilitate gripping and rotating the connector (as presently described) and with a skirt portion 23 outwardly opening at one end thereof, and with a medially open neck portion 24 intermediate the skirt portion and the adjacent interior opening 19 of body portion 18. The body portion is further provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced vanes 25 (FIG. 1) molded or otherwise formed interiorly thereof preferably adjacent the closed end thereof, said vanes being tapered outwardly in the direction of the neck portion, facilitating sliding of the angular end 26 of the spring 21 thereon as presently more fully described. The vanes 25 may be two (FIGS. 10 and 1) or more in number, the vanes being spaced circumferentially from each other to define slots 27 therebetween parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector, (FIG. 5) (28, FIG. 10). Spring 21 is formed with a plurality of convolutions 3,297,816 Patented Jan. 10, 1967 of preferably progressively smaller diameter toward the angularly directed end 26 thereof. The opposite end of the spring has a convolution thereof 29 (FIG. 1) of a diameter larger than the opening 30 of the neck portion 24 of the connector but less than the adjacent opening 19 of the body portion thereof.

The spring may be inserted initially to snap past the neck portion 24 and will be then positioned interiorly of the body portion and held against accidental displacement. As the spring 21 is inserted into the interior opening 19 of the connector body 15, the angular end 26 of the spring will slide over the vanes 25 and into one of the slots 27. The vanes 25 may be of any desired number, for example, four as shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, or two as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

On assembly of the device as shown in FIG. 1 a plurality of conductors such as the conductors 17 (FIG. 11) may be inserted into the connector and the latter may then be turned on the conductors. The convolutions of the spring member 21 progressively tighten the conductors in the connect-or and the exterior ribs 22 facilitate relativerotation between the connector 15 and the wires. The device may be readily manufactured of suitable dielectric material such as a plastic, and may be made wholly or partially transparent or translucent to facilitate viewing the interior thereof.

The slots 27 (FIG. 5) or 28 (FIG. 9) are preferably narrower or of smaller cross-sectional dimensions than the angular end 26 of the spring so that the latter will have an interference fit therewith (FIG. 9) The spring, being a harder material (preferably of spring metal) displaces the plastic material of the body 18 defining the slot, and forces itself tightly into the slot, thus helping retain the spring in the insulator body 18.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A connector for electrical conductors, comprising an insulated cap member having a body portion open at one end and closed at the other end and a skirt portion depending from the said one end of the body portion and opening outwardly therefrom and an open neck portion intermediate the body and skirt portions, the opening of said neck portion being of smaller diameter than the diameter of the adjacent end of the body portion, a coil spring member proportioned for forced insertion through the open neck portion and into the body portion said spring member being disposed in said body portion, said spring member having a convolution at one end of a diameter greater than that of the opening of the neck portion so that on insertion of said spring member into the body portion of the connector forcefully through the neck portion, the latter will preclude accidental movement of the spring member out of the body member, said body member having a plurality of circumferentially arranged vanes interiorly thereof at the end remote from the neck portion of the connector, said vanes being spaced from each other circumferentially to define slots therebetween parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector, the other end of the spring being directed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the spring and in selective engagement with one of said slots, to thereby register the spring with the slot, said vanes being generally triangular in cross-section and having an inner face generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector and forming a ramp for guiding the other end of said spring into the adjacent slot, said connector being adapted to be turned on conductors inserted therein to interlock the conductors with the connector.

2. In a connector for electrical conductors as set forth in claim 1, said last mentioned end of the spring being directed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the spring.

3 4 3. In a connector as set forth in claim 1, said vanes References Cited by the Examiner being tapered outwardly in the direction of said neck por- UNITED STATES PATENTS tion and thus facilitating sliding of the other end of said 1 933 555 11/1933 Jasper 89mg member vanes' 3,156,761 11/1964 Schinske 174 s7 4. In a connector as set forth in claim 1, said other end 5 I of the spring being of greater width than the slots to have LEWIS MYERS Primary Exammeran interference fit therewith. D, L, CLAY, Acting Examiner. 

1. A CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS, COMPRISING AN INSULATED CAP MEMBER HAVING A BODY PORTION OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER END AND A SKIRT PORTION DEPENDING FROM THE SAID ONE END OF THE BODY PORTION AND OPENING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND AN OPEN NECK PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE BODY AND SKIRT PORTIONS, THE OPENING OF SAID NECK PORTION BEING OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE ADJACENT END OF THE BODY PORTION, A COIL SPRING MEMBER PROPORTIONED FOR FORCED INSERTION THROUGH THE OPEN NECK PORTION AND INTO THE BODY PORTION SAID SPRING MEMBER BEING DISPOSED IN SAID BODY PORTION, SAID SPRING MEMBER HAVING A CONVOLUTION AT ONE END OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF THE OPENING OF THE NECK PORTION SO THAT ON INSERTION OF SAID SPRING MEMBER INTO THE BODY PORTION OF THE CONNECTOR FORCEFULLY THROUGH THE NECK PORTION, THE LATTER WILL PRECLUDE ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT OF THE SPRING MEMBER OUT OF THE BODY MEMBER, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED VANES INTERIOR THEREOF OF AT THE END REMOTE FROM THE NECK PORTION OF THE CONNECTOR, SAID VANES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER CIRCUMFERENTIALLY TO DEFINE SLOTS THEREBETWEEN PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONNECTOR, THE OTHER END OF THE SPRING BEING DIRECTED AT AN ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SPRING AND IN SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID SLOTS, TO THEREBY REGISTER THE SPRING WITH THE SLOT, SAID VANES BEING GENERALLY TRIANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND HAVING AN INNER FACE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONNECTOR AND FORMING A RAMP FOR GUIDING THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING INTO THE ADJACENT SLOT, SAID CONNECTOR BEING ADAPTED TO BE TURNED ON CONDUCTORS INSERTED THEREIN TO INTERLOCK THE CONDUCTORS WITH THE CONNECTOR. 